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(No Model.)

E.Y R. ESMOND.-

RAILROAD RAIL.

No. 500,688. PaJtentedJuly 4, `189s.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ERNEST R. ESMOND, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

RAILROAD-RAIL.

SPECIFICATION forming part 0f Letters Patent No. 500,688, dated July 4,1893. Application tiled December l2, 1891. Serial No. 414,844. (Nomodel.)

To all whom t may concern,.-

Be it known that I, ERNEST R. EsMoND, of the city, county, and State ofNew York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inRailroad-Rails, of which the following is a specification, referencebeing had to the drawings accompanying and forming a part of t-he same.

The present improvements relate to continuous, compound or built-uprails, that is, to rails the treads of which are composed of twoparallel members or parts joined together in overlapping 0r break-jointarrangement so that the tread of the completed or built-up rail will becontinuous or free of any cross joints cutting the tread entirelythrough laterally.

The invention has for its purpose to provide improved meansfor holdingsuch a divided or compound tread rail in place on the road bed, theessential object being to secure the two members of the rail directlytogether, andalso on or in a base, chair or like device which may becontinuous of the railor interrupted, which base is common to bothniembers of the tread and is arranged to receive the downward thrust ofeither or both of the said members and prevent their moving relativelyin a vertical direction.

Another purpose of the invention is to provide one member of the railwith a foot or lateral side extension that projects under the othermember and constitutes a part upon which it rests.

Other details of improvement will be pointed out in the claims to followthe description.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 `is a cross-sectional view of asurface rail adapted to horse-cars or similar roads. Fig. 2 is a sideview of a portion of the same, the flanges of the rail being sectionedaway longitudinally, and the tread portion being exposed; the chair orbase supports are also centrally sectioned. Fig. 3 is a plan View of theparts of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a plan view of one of the chairs in detail.Fig. 5 is a lengthwise vertical section of one of the chairs. Fig. 6 isa side elevation of one of the locking bolts by which the-rail issecured to the chair, and also a cross-section of the same. Fig. 7 is alike elevation view of one of these bolts, taken at right-angles to theposition in Fig. 6. Fig. 8 is a detail cross-section of the rail and topof a chair, in modiiied form. Figs. 9, l0 and 11 are modifications ofthe rail and chair.

Referring to Figs. 1 to 11, 1 represents the ground, 2 paving stones, 3and 4 the two members making up the rail, and 5 a chair for supportingthe rail. The rail of these figures is a so-called groove rail, or oneadapted to horse-car roads, or to other like roads where it is desiredto have the tread and groove iiange practically tiush with the surfaceof the road bed. The upper member, orouter tread portion, of this railis constructed to have a iiat base 6, which is practically the bottom ofthe groove between the tread portion 7 and the flange portion 8; whichbase may be horizontal as in Fig, 1, or inclined to a horizontal planeas in Fig. S. This groove and tiange may be of other shapes and forms,adapting the rail to surface use or to any of the various other useswhere it is desired to employ a groove rail. The other member or'outertread portion 4 of the rail, is in general form the same as that of themember 3, having a tread 9, a slanting web portion 10, a flat base 11,and flange 12, though this flange is not an essential; these parts beingof proper' form and size to adapt the two members to be placed, closelyfitting together, one upon and one within the other, as seen in Figs. land 8. The tread portions of the two members of the rail rise to thesame horizontal level, and their inner faces interlock by the bevel slot13 and bevel rib 14. The chairs employed to support this rail areconstructed with a base or foot portion 5, uprights 15 and the seat 16.The inner parts of the base are cut away except along the sides of thesame and between the uprights; also the uprights at their tops areseparated except along the seat 16,` thus producing a series of groundand rail bearings in one structure, which is of an open frameworkconstruction, and therefore light and yet rigid and durable. The seat 16is shaped to the form of the under-face of the rail 4 and is pierced bythe slots 17, as also are the base parts 6 and 11 of the rail pierced byslots 18. The rail lies in the seat, and the holes 18 through the samecorrespond in position to the holes 17 in the chair seat.

19 is a lock bolt for securing the rail to the IOO chair. It has a roundhead 2O and flanged locking shoulders 21, which shoulders haveoppositely beveled cam faces 22 5 likewise the outer ends of these camshoulders have vertical cam faces 23 oppositely turned. The oppositesides of the shank of this bolt are lengthwise grooved between the camshoulders by slots 24. The upper end of such a bolt is inserted throughthe chair seat from below and through the rail; it can then be turnedfrom above to lock the rail iii-position on the chair, the cam faces 22acting to draw the parts together vertically, while the cam faces 23will bear against the sides of the groove in the top members of the railand jam so as to secure the bolt against turning back and loosening. Atthe same time these shoulders press laterally to hold the vertical partsof the rail closely pressed together. To further insure these boltsremaining in place, a key or keys 25 is inserted in the slots 24, suchkey filling the space between the bolts and the ends of slots 17. Theparticular purpose of this construction of bolt will be now understood.After a rail is laid and the ground, paving stones, concrete or othergroundwork is closed in, it is desirable to not disturb the same.Therefore, in repairing or relaying rails, the locking bolts have but tobe turned, after the keys 25 are removed, to free therails. The boltswill be held from dropping through the chair seats by the concrete orearth packed in and around the chain-see Fig. l.

It is to be understood that the parts 3 and 4 of the rail are laid oneupon the other in break-joint arrangement, as particularly seen in Figs.2 and 3, Vwhere the rails 3 abut between the ends of the rail 4. Thusthere is produced a continuous tread without crossjoints cutting thetread through laterally. j

If desired, packing, elastic or non resonant material may be placedbetween the rail and chair,orbetween the members of the rail, and tothis end I showashallow trough-like groove 25,v in the top of the chairseat.

In Fig. 8 the seat of the chair is shown as approaching a V-shape, andthe base of each member of the rail inclines downwardly in acorrespondingly slantingdirection. This form and arrangement insures theholding closely together of the members of the rail and their secureposition on the chair. Under pressure the rail is driven downward, andthe resulting tendency is to press the treads together and hold theflange of the upper member against outward lateral movement.Furthermore, this wedging of these parts effects the desired cushioningaction of the rail.

In Fig. 9 the part 26 of the rail has a lateral liange 27 which restsupon a tie or stringer, also a rib 2S that interlocks with a groove inthe other member 29 of the rail. The web of this member 29 rests uponthe iiange 27 of the part 26. The two parts of the rail are properlybolted together at proper intervals, and any suitable form of bracket orbrace 30 is employed to sustain and secure the rail in position.

In Fig. l0, one member is provided with a foot flange 3l, correspondingto the flanges 27 of Fig. 9, upon which rests the web of the othermember of the rail,a chair 32 being employed to support the rail, holdthe parts thereof together and receive the downward thrust of the railwhen under pressure. This foot 3l stiffens the member of which it is apart against lateral strains and pressure, also it serves as a verticalsupport for the other member particularly between separated chairs andwhen the rail is suspended.

In Fig. l1, a grooved two-part tread-rail is shown inclosed by the chairsupport 33 and having a cross-sectional width the same as the tread ofthe rail, the webs ofthe rail resting laterally against the vertical andspaced webs 34 projecting inwardly from the sides of the chair. Thischair, as well as the others shown, may be continuous, in the form of agirder support and constitute a part of the permanent road-bed, orplaced at proper intervals in lengths suiting the conditions of road bedand character of support necessary to the rail.

The improvements described may be embodied in light rails, likehorse-car rails, or in heavy rails such as are adapted to locomotivetraction. The parts of the rail may be bolted together, further thanherein shown and described, as may be desiredand as is requisiteaccording to the demands of construction. Also suitable provision forexpansion and contraction can be had. Other modiiications and changesare possible which do not limit my improvements, but do not call formention here, being well known to those skilled in this art.

IOO

It will be noticed that in each of the forms I of rail shown the baseflange of the rail is wholly on one member, the other member at its baserests on and is supported bythe first named member; and the interlockbetween the two is located in the head of the rail. By thus forming thetwo members, and thus loeating these parts of the joint between them, Iinsure the solidity of the compound rail, render it most capable ofwithstanding the strains to which it is subjected when in use, andprevent any and all vertical movement of the one member independently ofthe other.

What is claimed as new isl. A rail road rail vertically dividedlengthwise through its head and web, forming two members, one formedwith the base flange of the rail, the other at its base resting on andsupported by the first named member and the two interlocking in the headas and for the purposes hereinbefore set forth.

2. A grooved railroad rail, composed of two longitudinal parts ormembers which are secured directly together and jointly compose theltread of the rail, one of which parts is provided with a wheel-flangegroove and en IIO ing the cam faces 22 and key s101324, the bolt beingadapted to pass through the slotted portion of the chair and rails andturnedl to a position to bolt and bind the parts rrnly together.

ERNEST E. EsMoND.

Witnesses:

ROBT. F. GAYLORD, ERNEST HoPKINsoN.

